The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-12
IN PRISON WALLS.
4 VISIT TO ATTORNEYGENERAL
AYERS AND Mr.. JOHN SCOTT

4 fERS AND NIX JDhN ncOII
a Representative of the Times Cordially |
Received by the Distinguished Prisoners
in their sky Parlor at the Jsil-Comfort- /
able ouarters-A Pleasant Talk
Yesterday evening representative of
the TINES paid visit to Attorney-tien-
eral Ayers and Mr.. 10 Scott, Common
wealth's Attorney of FauQuier county, AT
their quarters in the City Jail ON
knocking at the door of "the office "A
response from within came If you want
TO come I'm go around 20 the side door.
Accordingly Jail Alley was descended
until Marshall street was reached. and
another knock resulted in prompt open
ing of the gate
"Is the Attorney General ins'
~ o.. sir. walk up stairs; turn 90 your
left, and at the end OF The porch is his
room.
The instructions were followed and a
third knock was responded to, "'ome IN.
THE SHY rARLoR.
On opening the door. the Attorney
General and Mr. Scott were found seated
IN their sky parlor, "a very neat reception
room. made as COSY and comfortable as
possible with flowers and fruits Mr Scott
was sitting in "a chair. but rose and eX-
tended to his press visitor cordial
greeting, characteristic Of the old-timed
Virginia gentleman. The Attorney
General was seated AT table writing,
and he too was earnest and warm I'M his
reception A glance al the writing pad
I'm front of him showed that ON each
sheet of the same wa, the head
Commonwealth of Virginia At
torney Generals Office, "a sad COM
mentary ON the great fall which the
proud old Commonwealth, the mother Of
Washington and of States and statesmen
has experienced. since the office of her
Attorney General can be transferred, by
order of a Federal circuit Judge ap
pointed by Grant, from her classic old
Capitol 20 one of the meanest aud most
forbidding-looking jails TO be found ID
the United States.
ANOTHER POINT
And in this connection there is another
point worthy of mention I'm the room
with these distinguished prisoners of the
United States sat % Jail official who re-
mained with them all the time. II he was
there only as their orderly, and TO attend
To their wants, it was all right; but if he
was there TO watch his prisoners as he
would do convicted felons, then 10 was all
wrong Judge Bond may have been
right i'm ordering them TO Jail. but IL is
certainly not right that they should be
treated as II they are guilty OF any de-
basing crime.
THE HABEAs CORPUS PROCEEDINGS.
After being seated the TIMES repre-
sentative asked the Attorney General
what he had heard from his haJeQs corpus
case He replied nothing more than that
the papers had been presented 10 the
Supreme Court. and he expected some
action to-day. OF course he was unable
to form anything like "a definite conjec-
ture as 20 what that answer would be.
still he felt saneuine that the court would
promptv set Mr. Scott and himself at
! liberty The case had been presented in
full in the record be and bis associates
had prepared. and be did not think the
question Of the jurisdiction of Judge
Bond would be ruled out by the court in
The hearing.
TELEGRAM TO SIR. BARBOUR
While talging ON the subject, Mr
Ayers rose and called up by telephone
the Western Union Telegraph office. In
reply 10 the usual question Who's that
me said "Thc Attorney General OF Nir-
einia at the JAIL want you 10 send a
telegram for me- The telegram as
dictated by him through the telephone
was as follows
Hon. John s. Barbour Alexandria, ya.t.
Are sou correctly reported ln me Ne"
o'N " '''' "i,rrus A. AYERS"
MIR. BARB0rR's ALLEGED INTERVIEW.
The following is the interview in the
World 20 which Mr.. Ayers alluded
90 WAsmNGr0N, October l0-Ex-Rep-
resentative John 5 Barbour Of Virginia
said tonight. in regard 10 the probable
effect of the arrest of AttOmey-General
/ Ayers upon the question of state rights
] From what have read this evening
think the whole affair Is bat tempest
/ i'm teapot. don't want to be quoted
on the merits of this question, as know
but little about IT, Mr. Scott ! know
something of. Tie reminds me OF
the story of the ex-slaye-ownei
who continued to employ his dark
les after the war at day wages
On one occasion, becoming enraged at
the failure of half dozen OF them "a
obey an order. and forgetting that they
had ceased to be his personal chattels, he
seized a heavy whip and s0undly thrasneo
them all They were loudly complaining
of the punishment inflicted when an old
field hand offered this consolatory re-
mark: OATS all right, boys marse AIM
heerd dat Lee. surrendered yit. Hell
hear ob it soon.
81 DO not think, however that tho
Constitution grants 10 any United State
Circuit Judge the power to nulliIy th'
acts of a State legislature. These ques
fions have been raised time and again
and the autonomy Of the State upheld by
the highest courts. Very fine lines have
sometimes been drawn between The juno